Brooklyn, NY — Breanna Stewart scored 24 points and Jonquel Jones added 20 as the New York Liberty pulled away in the second half to defeat the Seattle Storm 95-83 on Monday night at Barclays Center.
The victory improved New York to 18-13 on the season and marked the Liberty’s fifth win in their last six games. Unlike their previous four victories, which were decided by a combined eight points, Monday’s contest ended with a more comfortable margin after a dominant fourth-quarter performance.
Sabrina Ionescu contributed 18 points as New York’s star trio once again set the tone offensively. Stewart, Jones and Ionescu combined to score the Liberty’s first 26 points of the game, helping the home team build an early 28-18 lead after the opening quarter.
Seattle battled back in the second period behind the play of Natisha Hiedeman, trimming the deficit to 50-43 by halftime and keeping the contest within reach.
The Storm continued to apply pressure in the third quarter, cutting New York’s lead to 70-67 late in the period. But the Liberty responded with one of their biggest runs of the night.
Stewart sparked a 9-0 burst to close the quarter, scoring four points during the decisive stretch as New York carried a 79-67 advantage into the final period.
The momentum carried over into the fourth quarter.
Marine Johannes and Han Xu helped extend the Liberty’s run, pushing the lead to 85-67 and putting the game out of reach. Although Seattle attempted to rally, the Storm never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Flau’jae Johnson paced Seattle with a game-high 25 points, while Natisha Hiedeman and Dominique Malonga each added 17. Despite another competitive effort from its young core, Seattle dropped its ninth consecutive game and fell to 6-26 on the season.
Monday also marked a return to Brooklyn for Storm head coach Sonia Raman, who served as an assistant coach with the Liberty last season. Although Seattle has endured a difficult first year under Raman, the organization continues to build around promising young talent, including Johnson, Malonga and Awa Fam.
The evening also featured a notable guest in attendance. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was courtside before tipoff, spending time speaking with Jonquel Jones and Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco before taking her seat alongside Liberty owner Clara Wu Tsai.
Jones said she appreciated the opportunity to meet Clinton before the game and enjoyed the conversation. During the contest, Clinton received a warm ovation from the Barclays Center crowd when she was recognized on the arena videoboard.
The win also opened a three-game homestand for the Liberty, with New York set to host Seattle again on Wednesday night as the two teams conclude their brief back-to-back series.
